Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Fairy Tail.

Note: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, life kind of got in the way, and I temporarily lost interest in the story. I'll try to be better about updating more frequently, though I make no promises.

Warning: Mystogan x Hayden (so far; the voting is closed), spoilers!

Enjoy!

"So…" Hayden said awkwardly as Makarov shooed her and Mystogan out of his office so they could get to know each other before their mission. "What do you want to know?"

Mystogan tilted his head thoughtfully. "Makarov trusts you, so you're definitely not a spy, but…why can I sense the aura of one of the Oracion Seis on you?"

Hayden narrowed her eyes slightly, but there was only curiosity in Mystogan's voice, not accusation or judgment.

"Well, it started like this." She began to explain how she'd met the dark guild mage.

Cobra's eyes widened as he overheard one of the villagers speak.

"Did you hear?" she asked. "One of the mages in Fairy Tail can speak to snakes! She helped the kingdom negotiate a peace treaty with the snake demons by translating for them."

"Seriously?" the other gasped. "What kind of magic is that?"

"I don't know, I'd never heard of it. It must be really rare!"

The woman felt a gust of wind, but when she turned to look for what caused it, Cobra was already gone.

'All I want…is to hear your voice.'

A day later, Cobra walked into the Fairy Tail guild hall.

"Hello! Can I help you?" Mirajane asked with a warm smile, cleaning a glass.

"I'm looking for the mage who can speak with snakes." He answered curtly, though Mirajane wasn't bothered by his attitude.

"Ah." Mira said thoughtfully, setting the glass down. "I can go get her for you."

"That would be appreciated." Cobra muttered with a slight grimace.

He wasn't really used to using manners. They weren't exactly important in Oracion Seis.

When the white-haired barmaid came back, a pretty girl with black hair and green eyes was following her.

"You're looking for me?" Hayden asked, straight and to the point.

"Yeah. Can we speak in private?" Cobra asked.

"Sure, why not?" the girl answered, before leading him out of the building. "Hayden, by the way."

"…Erik." Cobra muttered in response. He wasn't in the habit of using his real name, but if he told her his alias then she might recognize him as being a member of a dark guild.

"Nice to meet you." She said. "In case you're wondering, we left because there was a dragon slayer a few feet from us."

"Enhanced hearing." Cobra said, smirking.

How ironic.

"Exactly." Hayden eyed him thoughtfully. "Like you."

Cobra froze. "Excuse me?"

"You're Cobra of the Oracion Seis." She said, tilting her head a bit. "The third generation Poison Dragon Slayer."

"How-" Cobra started, readying himself for an attack.

"You've got the elongated canines of a dragon slayer, for one thing." Hayden pointed out, rolling her eyes. "You immediately knew why a nearby dragon slayer wouldn't be conducive to a private conversation. Your snake is hiding up on that building, and has been following us since we left the guild hall. That, and there are descriptions of you floating around, baka. Your appearance and clothing are kind of distinctive. I'm sure Mira recognized you, too."

"Great." Cobra growled. "So, now what? Are you going to attack me?"

"Nope!" Hayden denied with a grin. "I'm going to hear you out. If you brought your snake—"

"Cubellios."

"If you brought Cubellios with you to a meeting with a snake speaker, it's pretty obvious that it's for a reason." Hayden finished.

Cobra eyed her cautiously.

"I'm not going to attack you, or have any of my guild mates do so." She promised.

Cobra frowned thoughtfully, glancing at Cubellios, who had revealed herself when she realized that she had been seen. The large serpent glanced at the girl calmly, and her body wasn't tense.

"Snakes can sense deception…" Cobra muttered to himself, before turning towards the girl. "I want to know if there's a way I can learn whatever magic allows you to speak with snakes."

Hayden's eyes widened in surprise.

"I don't think it is magic, actually." She said after a moment. "Or at least not the kind of magic you're talking about. To me, it's a language that I've always been able to speak and understand."

Cobra clenched his hand into a fist, frustrated.

"But…the thing about languages…" Hayden pondered. "They're meant to be shared. I don't know if I can teach you, because I was never taught it myself, but I can try."

"Why would you help me?" Cobra asked bitterly. "I'm a dark mage."

"Well, for one thing, Cubellios has been adding her own two sense to our conversation." Hayden stated, skipping up onto the bridge. "She's pretty convincing. Besides, like I said, knowledge is meant to be shared. That applies regardless of whether or not you're a dark mage."

Cobra stared at her, before saying reluctantly. "I don't like being indebted to anyone."

Hayden bit her lip thoughtfully. "That dragon slayer I was mentioning earlier. First generation. His element is fire."

"What about him?"

"He's a hothead who's always ready for a fight, always looking to test his skills against people."

"You want me to fight him?"

"He's not always the best at fighting against elements that clash with his own. Lightning, for example." Hayden glanced at the sunset, thinking about Laxus. She had put together that he was a 2nd Gen dragon slayer, but no one else seemed to. "I figure some practice would do him some good, especially against another dragon slayer."

"And why do you want to waste a favor on someone else?"

"It's not a waste." Hayden said, blinking in surprise as she turned back towards him. "He's nakama. Anyway, the fight can wait until after we see results in our lessons. That way you'll know that I'm following through on my end of the deal."

Cobra stared at her.

"Tch. Whatever." He eventually muttered, before hopping back on Cubellios. "Tomorrow. In the woods."

"See you then!" Hayden called.

What Cobra didn't know was that Cubellios had informed Hayden that the main reason Cobra had even joined Oracion Seis was so that he could search for a way to communicate with her. That had been Brain's promise to him.

If Cobra managed it without Brain's help…then he would have no reason to stay.

"And there you have it." Hayden finished. "That was a year ago. Once his lessons were over, he left Oracion Seis. Turns out he was only there in the first place so he could find a way to talk to Cubellios. Once he'd accomplished his goal, he no longer had a reason to stay. Of course, then he ended up here with Cubellios, and Master Makarov realized that she was actually a human who had been cursed, so...well, Cubellios is now Kinana. She didn't remember their time together immediately, but once she spent some time with him she began regaining those memories. They're traveling right now."

"Brain must not have been happy when they left." Mystogan commented.

Hayden grimaced. "Not from what he told me, no. He didn't let him go without a fight. He actually came here afterwards, and Porlyusica had to heal him."

"Porlyusica willingly healed someone who isn't in Fairy Tail?" the blue-haired man asked, surprised.

"She made him give her samples of his different poisons so that she could make antidotes for them." The girl explained. "He wasn't happy, but he was really bad off, so he didn't have a choice."

Mystogan chuckled slightly. "I don't blame him. I wouldn't appreciate being blackmailed into giving up my secret weapons, either."

Hayden nodded in complete agreement. "Neither would I. Speaking of, you haven't asked me what mine are yet."

Meaning he still didn't know what she could do, aside from the whole 'speaking to snakes' thing.

Mystogan blinked. "Right. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Hayden smiled at him, and Mystogan suddenly felt as if he had passed a test he hadn't known he'd been taking.

Please review!

I know Cobra's a bit OOC, but to be fair, he's younger than he was when we first saw him, and therefore hasn't been with Oracion Seis that long. He also knows that he can't act too much like an ass or Hayden might not agree to teach him. He's definitely not like he was after the time-skip because he hasn't had to deal with losing Cubellios.

Is it smart of Hayden to make a deal with a dark mage? Probably not. Still, I've always felt sorry for the kids who were trapped in the Tower of Heaven, and that of course includes Cobra. His main priority is Cubellios, not the Oracion Seis and their agenda. They're simply a means to an end, and since Brain hasn't followed through on his promise that he'll be able to hear Cubellios, Cobra isn't as loyal as he could be. The fact that Hayden might be able to teach him might weaken his ties to them further.

Is it too dangerous for Natsu to fight him, even in a controlled setting? I don't see why. He beat Cobra in canon. As for the poison, even Wendy wouldn't be there, Porlyusica would.

No, this isn't going to be a Hayden x Cobra thing. I like him with Kinana. It's Mystogan and Hayden, for now. Zeref might be added later on, but I haven't decided.